CityNews reports that Pogo* stalwart Gary Kent is planning to try and overturn the Zeddite victory:

Former party president Gary Kent, a Humphries supporter, has gathered the requisite number of party members’ signatures on a petition to force the party to hold a meeting in coming weeks to consider overthrowing this morning’s vote and beginning the preselection process again. More than two thirds of the party’s membership have been deemed ineligible to take part in the preselection process.

In other exciting news it’s going to be Lee v. Leigh in Fraser after Elizabeth Lee agreed to take up the poisoned chalice.

* Pogonophile, a lover of beards.

UPDATE 23/02/13 17:46: Craig Stanley has sent in video from the announcement.

Today, Zed said Gary brought the party into disrepute going the the media. I say what about branch stacking, bullying members, limiting communication with the membership and dragging the Party through the media with the Teo Faulkner time sheet debacle. Such a small game.
Zed is a self interested lightweight who has never won an election, or held a portfolio, believing his own rhetoric.
Sadly the community looses this should be the true focus of politics.

The Liberals clearly haven’t thought this through. Zed had solid appeal in the ACT election because he is somewhat credible on local issues. On the federal stage, he is going to prove to be a big mistake.

Gary, as a moderate Liberal, had good cross-appeal into the Labor voter pool. Zed does not have the same broad appeal to centrist Labor voters. I expect to see a swing against the Liberals if Zed remains the candidate.

The key though (and what will have Simon Sheikh smiling) is that Liberal leakage into the Labor ticket is as bad as leakage to the Greens as each additional vote for Labor above their quota means that there is more excess that distributes to the Greens as well as the Liberals as the votes of those who would ordinarily choose Labor will also be distributed.

I’m not going as far as predicting that Zed won’t win the seat for the Liberals but they make it a whole lot harder for themselves picking a candidate that lacks gravitas with the federal party and appeal to centrist Canberra voters.

Zed chops off Gazza’s head.
Six months left to sharpen blade for the head of Simon Sheikh.
Get the young libs to start dirt file on Getup.
Practice with watermelons, spit word bullets.
Vlad the Impaler was a lightweight, Z is a Tuggeranong hero.

The Liberals clearly haven’t thought this through. Zed had solid appeal in the ACT election because he is somewhat credible on local issues. On the federal stage, he is going to prove to be a big mistake.

Gary, as a moderate Liberal, had good cross-appeal into the Labor voter pool. Zed does not have the same broad appeal to centrist Labor voters. I expect to see a swing against the Liberals if Zed remains the candidate.

The key though (and what will have Simon Sheikh smiling) is that Liberal leakage into the Labor ticket is as bad as leakage to the Greens as each additional vote for Labor above their quota means that there is more excess that distributes to the Greens as well as the Liberals as the votes of those who would ordinarily choose Labor will also be distributed.

I’m not going as far as predicting that Zed won’t win the seat for the Liberals but they make it a whole lot harder for themselves picking a candidate that lacks gravitas with the federal party and appeal to centrist Canberra voters.

I would love it if the Libs lost this seat, if only for the fact that maybe they’ll see that not everyone wants to ride this new wave of ‘big-C’ Conservatism. I was raised in a Labor household, but I’ve been trying to put aside my ingrained prejudices of the Right, but social conservatism is something I can’t abide by. And also to see Zed fall flat on his face, I must admit I’d love to see that.

Zed chops off Gazza’s head.
Six months left to sharpen blade for the head of Simon Sheikh.
Get the young libs to start dirt file on Getup.
Practice with watermelons, spit word bullets.
Vlad the Impaler was a lightweight, Z is a Tuggeranong hero.

The Liberals clearly haven’t thought this through. Zed had solid appeal in the ACT election because he is somewhat credible on local issues. On the federal stage, he is going to prove to be a big mistake.

Gary, as a moderate Liberal, had good cross-appeal into the Labor voter pool. Zed does not have the same broad appeal to centrist Labor voters. I expect to see a swing against the Liberals if Zed remains the candidate.

The key though (and what will have Simon Sheikh smiling) is that Liberal leakage into the Labor ticket is as bad as leakage to the Greens as each additional vote for Labor above their quota means that there is more excess that distributes to the Greens as well as the Liberals as the votes of those who would ordinarily choose Labor will also be distributed.

I’m not going as far as predicting that Zed won’t win the seat for the Liberals but they make it a whole lot harder for themselves picking a candidate that lacks gravitas with the federal party and appeal to centrist Canberra voters.

I would love it if the Libs lost this seat, if only for the fact that maybe they’ll see that not everyone wants to ride this new wave of ‘big-C’ Conservatism. I was raised in a Labor household, but I’ve been trying to put aside my ingrained prejudices of the Right, but social conservatism is something I can’t abide by. And also to see Zed fall flat on his face, I must admit I’d love to see that.

100% the same view from me, except I grew up in a liberal family and rejected it as soon as I was old enough to know.

I’m not going to be as well spoken or diplomatic as you are, dr koresh, I’m just going to say any body who votes for a zed ever is: a grade A mong or a developer or a grade A mong who is a brainwashed god botherer or a grade A mong who is some sort of LIBERAL 4 LYFE GREENS AND LABOUR = TRIPLE RATES!

I hope, if there are no avenues given for an appeal and a chance to conduct a fair and complete vote of the membership, that Zed DOES lose. That there is no liberal senate seat in canberra next period.

I get annoyed when I now hear hardline liberals (aka oldies) are now saying to get behind Zed. Are you kidding me? Complain about the way this all went down (which is calculated deception), and then reward/condone the behaviour by voting him in anyway?

Yeah, ok, have THAT guy (and the people behind him who made it happen) representing you in the senate. Yeah, good idea.

Condone the shady process (and make that the new benchmark for preselection process) and vote him in, or don’t vote for him and stand up for the fair vote you wanted.

Today the young liberals traded their guaranteed front bench senator for a first term back bencher. Great call, Zed keeps saying he has a lot to offer. What exactly does he have to offer? He is good at employing family and friends and ambushing people but other than that Im not sure what he has to offer.

My guess is liberals snate vote will be lower with Zed than it would have been with Gary, I know I would have voted for Zed but I won’t vote for Zed. He is too far to the right for most

The Liberals clearly haven’t thought this through. Zed had solid appeal in the ACT election because he is somewhat credible on local issues. On the federal stage, he is going to prove to be a big mistake.

Gary, as a moderate Liberal, had good cross-appeal into the Labor voter pool. Zed does not have the same broad appeal to centrist Labor voters. I expect to see a swing against the Liberals if Zed remains the candidate.

The key though (and what will have Simon Sheikh smiling) is that Liberal leakage into the Labor ticket is as bad as leakage to the Greens as each additional vote for Labor above their quota means that there is more excess that distributes to the Greens as well as the Liberals as the votes of those who would ordinarily choose Labor will also be distributed.

I’m not going as far as predicting that Zed won’t win the seat for the Liberals but they make it a whole lot harder for themselves picking a candidate that lacks gravitas with the federal party and appeal to centrist Canberra voters.

Sounds about right to me, even if some of the subtleties are a bit challenging at this time on a Saturday night.

I understand Tom Sefton was chosen for Canberra. Fear and loathing of Abbott will no doubt see Gai Brodtmann returned, but if his performance in the ACT poll is anything to go by, Tom could give it a surprisingly good shake.

The old folks wanting to take back control from the youth sounds like a recipe for long term disaster.

Mind you letting young liberals run things sounds like short term disaster!

You have nailed it right here. Anyone with a grey beard isn’t going to appeal to young voters these days. Humphries is yesterday’s man politically speaking – experience means nothing anymore.
The Greens have just realised that they made a big mistake replacing the fossilised Bob Brown with someone who emulates a retired school mistress when they should heve installed the young and cool Sarah H-Y who will appeal to the young voters.
Why do you think The Greens are runnning Simon Sheikh in the ACT?
Zed will pull a lot of the young voters which Humphries would have no chance of if he was preselected.
The Blue Rinse Liberals that still support Humphries were Young Liberals once too.

Poor Guilia ran the constant campaign of both local and federal elections enough times that it finally paid off with sufficient sympathy votes, so it’s good to see Lee has been passed the rewarding mantel of long term disappointment.

The way things are tracking at present, Kate Lundy should be thinking very hard about looking after her constituency. I think the closeness of the three way contest could surprise a few people.

Kate will be fine. She’ll just trundle out the same old union story that the Liberals will hack into the PS, herd women and children into fields and shoot them, burn down the National Library, High Court & National Gallery, and close all public schools and hospitals – and once again the same stupid, gormless people of Canberra will fall for it all again.

Of course, by September we will have forgetten all about the impact Labor’s PS cuts and fiscal mismangement have had on Canberra……..